Maomao was momentarily stunned.
Faced with Aunt Ruxue's question, she chose this time to confront her true feelings:
"Aunt Ruxue, I want to stay here long-term... is that... okay?"
Lin Yu took a deep breath, silently cheering for Maomao in his heart.
For most people,
making requests to their "parents" might be an utterly trivial matter—
so insignificant it barely even counts as a request.
But Lin Yu understood just how much courage it took for Maomao to voice her true thoughts at this moment.
Or perhaps it would be better to consider courage from another angle...
From Aunt Ruxue's perspective, the one posing the question also needed immense bravery!
Ever since meeting Maomao and Aunt Ruxue, Lin Yu had pieced together their story using the information they provided and the insights from his dreams.
One had faced discrimination abroad.
The other had lost her parents after growing old enough to understand.
Two people who had endured profound emotional pain had become each other's light in their respective worlds.
The adult was learning how to love.
The child was trying to reclaim love.
No matter how you looked at it,
judging by their current relationship, the beautiful memories far outweighed the hardships.
At this moment,
the one attempting to let go must have been suffering far more than the one striving for independence.
So, Aunt Ruxue needed even greater courage than Maomao.
Du Ruxue's expression revealed neither joy nor anger as she replied calmly:
"Sure, staying long-term at Mengmeng’s place sounds like a good idea to me."
Maomao’s tense body instantly relaxed.
She finally understood what it meant to feel a weight lift off her shoulders.
"But..."
Du Ruxue’s tone shifted, making Maomao’s heart leap again.
Everything before "but" could be ignored—
what came after was the real point to remember!
As if deliberately building suspense, Du Ruxue picked up her glass, took a sip of water, and paused before speaking.
The moment she set the glass down...
it was as if a switch had been flipped...
A server who had been completely out of sight suddenly appeared like a ghost beside their table.
"Honored guests, may I refill your water?"
Without waiting for a response, the server began pouring.
Lin Yu watched with deep admiration.
"......"
"Thank you."
Once the water was poured, Du Ruxue finally continued:
"But you’ve never lived independently before. I can’t rest easy leaving you alone out here."
"If you can’t even find your way around, how can you learn to take care of yourself?"
Maomao lowered her head, her heart heavy with disappointment.
Sigh.
So even speaking her mind couldn’t change the outcome.
Aunt Ruxue’s words were undeniably true, leaving Maomao no room to argue.
Her ability to manage daily life was practically nonexistent.
Staying inside the apartment without going out would, of course, prevent any mishaps.
But Maomao asked herself...
Was what she truly wanted just moving from one big, empty house to another crowded one?
Stepping out would only mean walking into another kind of confinement.
Yet.
The conversation wasn’t over.
Du Ruxue spoke again:
"So, to make you give up completely, I prepared three challenges for you last night!"
"For the next week, I’ll stay in Pingchuan City."
"If you complete all three, it’ll prove you’re capable of living independently."
"Your request will be granted—you can stay as long as you want."
"But if you fail, you’ll come home with me without complaint."
"And for the next three years, you won’t bring up living away again."
Maomao: "!!!"
Hearing this, Maomao’s eyes instantly lit up.
There was still a chance?
It wasn’t over yet!
The direction of her future life was still in her own hands!
"Deal, Aunt Ruxue! I accept!"
Without even hearing what the challenges were, Maomao agreed immediately.
Lin Yu wasn’t entirely surprised by this outcome.
At least from yesterday’s interactions, it was clear Aunt Ruxue wasn’t entirely indifferent to Maomao’s feelings.
But this woman... she was so contradictory!
Even Lin Yu couldn’t tell whether she wanted Maomao to succeed or fail.
Maybe she didn’t even know herself.
One thing was certain, though...
Aunt Ruxue understood Maomao inside out!
Using a "competition" or "challenge" to motivate the stubbornly competitive Maomao to give it her all—
only someone who had her completely figured out could devise such a tactic.
Lin Yu took a sip from his glass, savoring the complexity of this bond that transcended a typical mother-daughter relationship.
Just then,
the familiar server materialized beside him again,
repeating the same script—and giving him a minor heart attack in the process.
Seeing Maomao’s newfound confidence, Du Ruxue scoffed:
"Maomao, don’t mistake this for kindness."
"It’s just a little game to make you face reality."
"Let’s start with the first challenge. If you pass, we’ll move to the next."
"If you can’t even clear the first one, the rest won’t matter."
Instantly,
all eyes turned to Du Ruxue.
Maomao leaned forward intently, not wanting to miss a single word.
Then,
Du Ruxue revealed the challenge:
"The first task..."
"Spend 30 million yuan within 24 hours."
"Use it to buy 'daily necessities' for yourself in Pingchuan City."
"Cars, property, designer bags, luxury watches..."
"Anything you think you’ll need over the next two years—buy whatever you want."
"The money must be spent, not saved or invested in any form!"
"If you fail to spend it all in 24 hours, the challenge is over."
Maomao: "!!!"
Chen Qimeng: "!!!"
Lin Yu: "!!!"
Now this was what you called a bombshell!
Maomao was shocked because, in all her life, she’d never spent such an astronomical sum.
Anything she needed had always been provided for her!
Figuring out what to buy and where to splurge was completely outside her experience.
Chen Qimeng was floored by her friend’s staggering wealth.
She knew Du Ruxue was rich, but this rich?
30 million yuan...
just to test a child’s growth?
This was a lifestyle she couldn’t even dream of.
As for Lin Yu, his shock stemmed from...
wanting to check Du Ruxue’s ID to see if it read "Wang Duoyu’s Second Uncle"!
30 million?
Why not make it a billion while you’re at it?!
The games of the wealthy were bafflingly consistent—and infuriating.
Why not let him try?
He’d never handled big money either,
but he’d blow through it all in a day, guaranteed!
...
(Extra chapter delivered! That’s all for today’s update. Goodnight, friends! If you have time, check out the ads—support the author with some love-powered electricity!)
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
